Fabrics and patterns in 1942

I have recently acquired a copy of the March 1942 issue of Vogue. Unsurprisingly, it was the cover which first attracted me.

Anything with wooden cotton reels is going to pique my interest!

The illustration is by Pierre Roy, a French Surrealist artist who had done several Vogue covers in the 1930s. You can see another example of his work here. Discovering the identity of the artist explained the mystery of why a tape measure in centimetres appeared on the cover of an American/British publication!

Sometime between November 1940 and March 1942, Vogue Pattern Book ceased to be a separate supplement and became part of Vogue itself, where it would stay until Spring 1949. There are some interesting articles and advertisements in this issue, but this post concentrates on the Pattern Book, and the features on fabrics.

The first of these is the "London Spring Fashions and Fabrics" mentioned on the cover. It consists of drawings of seven outfits created by designers in the recently formed Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, alongside descriptions and close-up photographs of the fabrics used.

Designs by Bianca Mosca, Worth London and Hardy Amies

Designs by Hartnell, Digby Morton, Bianca Mosca and Peter Russell

Following on from this is a double-page colour spread on woollens.

Colourful woollens for spring

Most of the issue is printed on smooth, slightly glossy, magazine paper, but eight of the Pattern Book's 12 pages are printed on something more akin to heavy newsprint.

The Pattern Book section still has its own 'cover'

Special Designs patterns

Couturier patterns

For children

Regular patterns

Only the photograph section uses glossy paper, presumably to reproduce the images properly.

Vogue 9247

Vogue 9291

Vogue 9192

Vogue 9246

Vogue 9246 can be made either entirely from fabric, or with the bodice section knitted. Knitting instructions are provided at the back of the Pattern Book. There is no suggestion that they are also included with the pattern, and as they are for a 34" bust only and the pattern is available in sizes 30" to 40", this option seems to be of limited use.

Knitting instructions and other information (click to enlarge)

A 34" bust seems to be the Vogue standard at this time, as the yardage requirements listed above the knitting instructions are also given for that size. There is also a column for the number of coupons required to make the pattern up. Separate collars and dickies have their own coupon allowances, although presumably these were prime candidates for some 'Make Do and Mend' from a worn-out garment.

In total, there are 41 adult patterns and five for children in this issue. It would be interesting to see if the number of new patterns issued reduced as the war went on.